Shaking it off

Just watched Dana Eveland field a comebacker and throw out Jose Castillo for the final out of the third inning. A seemingly routine play, but remember that no comebacker to Eveland probably seems routine right now. Ever since he was tagged on the left wrist by Shannon Stewart’s liner May 29, Eveland hasn’t been the same on the mound. He even said that experience might be affecting him mentally. Castillo’s ball was a chopper, and not hit particularly hard, but Eveland’s soft toss to Daric Barton at first was very low. His body language walking off the mound almost seemed to indicate a sigh of relief.

Keep an eye on Eveland’s performance over the next couple of starts, and how he handles any hard shots that come his way. The A’s need him to regain his form from the season’s first two months, and shake any lingering mental effects of getting nailed.